Goalie Chris Czarnota worked the pipes to record his first shutout of the season as the top-ranked Cadets upped their record to 17-2-0 overall and 12-1-0 in ECAC East play.

Norwich came out buzzing and peppered NEC goalie Shawn Sirman with six quick shots. The Cadets went ahead 1-0 on the first of two Mulvey goals, a backhand through the five-hole at 2:46 with assists to Allan and Janke.

Norwich used its speed to carry the play and rack up 30 shots on goal, compared to New England College’s eight attempts through the first two periods.But the Cadets had to settle for a 2-0 lead and deal with a Pilgrim power play to start the third period. Halfway through the middle period, Norwich held a 27-3 shots-on-goal edge, but Sirman (38 saves) proved tough to beat.

Mulvey’s second goal came on a pretty connect-the-dots play. Janke returned Mulvey’s pass back to him as he proceeded unchecked to the net.

“On the first goal, I saw Tory cycling up high with a defender on him,” Mulvey said. “I tried to get open and he slid it to me. I spun around and snuck it though the five-hole.”

“We knew when Pier (captain Pier-Olivier Cotnoir) got hurt that we needed to pick him up,” Mulvey said of his linemates. “Janke is so unselfish. He and Allan are two exceptional players. They make me look good.”

Throughout the contest it seemed a question of when, rather than if, Norwich could put more points on the board. Midway through the final period, the Cadets struck twice in 25 seconds.

Nevin Lawler scored on a rebound of Alec Thieda’s slap shot at 8:50. Gerard McEleney also had an assist. Thieda had been robbed twice before by Sirman.

Defenseman Erik Lyrvall scored his first career with assists from Janke and Allan.Allan’s goal in the closing seconds came with an assist from Lyrvall and Thieda.

New England College dressed 10 players from Sweden and three from Finland. The Pilgrims dipped to 7-12-2.

Czarnota stopped 13 shots while lowering his goals-against average to 1.92.

“We had a real good start,” Norwich coach Mike McShane said. “I thought the second goal by Mulvey was key. We had a strong third period and all of our lines skated well.”